Auditor General DePasquale Asks Pittsburgh Public Schools for Details of Travel, Vendor-Sponsored Trips or Gifts, No-Bid Contracts
Auditor General DePasquale Asks Pittsburgh Public Schools for Details of Travel, Vendor-Sponsored Trips or Gifts, No-Bid Contracts
HARRISBURG (May 20, 2019) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today asked Pittsburgh Public Schools to provide details of travel by district officials and contracts that were awarded without seeking bids.
DePasquale said he is concerned by recent reports that several district administrators traveled to Cuba in April on a vendor’s tab.
“I want to know if the reported travel was in line with district policies and state ethics rules,” DePasquale said. “More importantly, I want to know how this trip, and any others, benefited students in Pittsburgh classrooms.
“While a case can be made for work-related travel that benefits the quality of classroom instruction, I feel the questions around this situation warrant closer examination.”
Five district officials, including the superintendent, reportedly visited Cuba as an offshoot of a trip to Florida for professional development purposes. It appears that the 2-day trip to Cuba was arranged by a district contractor, The Flying Classroom, and was not approved in advance by the school board.
The school board has instructed the district’s legal department to review the matter, as well.
“I am asking for details of all school district travel during the current school year,” DePasquale added. “I’d like to know if there were other trips or gifts that were sponsored by vendors and, if so, who took them.”
DePasquale said he’s also concerned by reports that the district’s superintendent has unilaterally awarded dozens of contracts for various costly services without first seeking bids.
“With millions of taxpayer dollars involved, I’d like to know just how the decisions were made to award these no-bid contracts and how are they benefiting students in the classroom,” DePasquale added.
He noted that this request for information is separate from his department’s ongoing audit of the school district’s student transportation contracts.
Learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.paauditor.gov.
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